Once again our younger son did some research, and bought us yet another board game for Christmas. We're always wondering if a game will emerge that begins to rival Settlers of Catan in re-playability; we begin to doubt if that will ever happen, but having finally opened and started to play 'Grand Austria Hotel', it's one that we can see ourselves enjoying regularly, even if not a couple of times per week.
Having said that, we've played it three times so far, learning more each time. The setup phase took longest the first time, with several pages describing the different boards and cards. It all seemed very complicated. But the basic idea is straightforward. Each player is the owner of a hotel, which attracts four kinds of guest. Blue nobles, yellow artists, red politicians and green tourists have different requirements, and one of the main aims of the game is to fill as many rooms as possible.
Guests, printed on attractive cards, come at first to the cafe (three spaces at the bottom of the individual playing boards) with orders that must be filled. There are four sets of different coloured blocks: black for coffee, red for wine, white for ice cream and brown for chocolate. (In the instructions, white and brown are cakes and strudel, or possibly the other way around; we couldn't remember which was which, so we changed the names).
Once the order is filled, the guest can be moved to a room in the appropriate colour... but only if there is a room already prepared.
The most significant part of each turn is based on the roll of dice at the start of the round. For three players, twelve dice are rolled, and then arranged on 'action' spaces accordingly. Ones and Twos allow for a player to acquire extra food and drink supplies, Threes allow for room preparation, Fours for the taking of extra money or victory points, Fives for the appointment of new staff, and Sixes are a kind of wild card.
It took us a while to work out how to play the staff - another full set of attractive cards, each with different skills - and we still have to keep referring to the instruction guide to discover what some of them offer. They range from single-use staff, who might provide a few supplies for the cafe, through to those who allow extra actions or money with certain numbers, ongoing through the game.
That's how the table looked towards the end of round three of our first game. It looks complex, but the setup is surprisingly quick. At the bottom of the picture is the action card for the dice. Above that is the main game board, with guests who can be selected, a scoring track around the outside, and the added complication of an 'emperor track' which gives bonuses or penalties after every few rounds.
The hotel boards are the three at the top of the picture, three each, with staff cards laid out (though we also put the ones in our hands on the table for the first run-through). We didn't get any further than round three; it took about three hours to get that far.
Here's a photo from a different perspective; the cards sticking out of the bottom of the hotel boards are guests who are still in the cafe awaiting their orders.
When we calculated the scores at the end, I had won, but none of us had any idea how. We were not playing strategically, and only understanding a little of how it worked as we played. None of us used the emperor track at all. I think we all had between about ten and thirty points.
The second time we played, it was just the two of us and we got to the end in about three hours. We used staff more effectively (and correctly) and I made sure to gain emperor points whenever I could. We both found ourselves running out of money (kronen) and realised we had made a mistake about bonuses from filling blocks of rooms. We had given ourselves victory points for all of them, whereas we should have gained either kronen or emperor points from the red or yellow blocks.
I won the second game too, mostly because of the emperor points, and was amazed to reach 55 points. But we wondered vaguely why the scoring track had extra markers that could be used when getting right the way around and starting a second lap.
A couple of days later we played another three-player game. This time it became apparent that each game helps with understanding and strategy. The third player, who was only on her second game, didn't get any victory points and filled far fewer rooms than the two of us who had played the extra game. The winner ended up with over 100 points, I was about twenty behind, and the third player reached around 50.
We're not particularly competitive, and it's a game where each plays for themselves rather than any direct competition. Each round (there are seven in all) involves two turns for each player, and the first player moves around the table. There's some luck in the roll of the dice and the cards available, so rather than long-term strategy, it's more of a game of tactics, taking advantage of the available dice actions, or the guests and staff one acquires.
Some reviews say that it's less interesting as a four-player game, because turns can be lengthy and other players are not at all involved in anyone else's playing. It's the only disadvantage mentioned. But while still learning the game and its many variations, this isn't an issue at all because we're all interested in what each other are doing, seeing what effect different staff or guests have on the play and the scoring.
So far, we like 'Grand Austria Hotel' very much.
Having said that, we've played it three times so far, learning more each time. The setup phase took longest the first time, with several pages describing the different boards and cards. It all seemed very complicated. But the basic idea is straightforward. Each player is the owner of a hotel, which attracts four kinds of guest. Blue nobles, yellow artists, red politicians and green tourists have different requirements, and one of the main aims of the game is to fill as many rooms as possible.
Guests, printed on attractive cards, come at first to the cafe (three spaces at the bottom of the individual playing boards) with orders that must be filled. There are four sets of different coloured blocks: black for coffee, red for wine, white for ice cream and brown for chocolate. (In the instructions, white and brown are cakes and strudel, or possibly the other way around; we couldn't remember which was which, so we changed the names).
Once the order is filled, the guest can be moved to a room in the appropriate colour... but only if there is a room already prepared.
The most significant part of each turn is based on the roll of dice at the start of the round. For three players, twelve dice are rolled, and then arranged on 'action' spaces accordingly. Ones and Twos allow for a player to acquire extra food and drink supplies, Threes allow for room preparation, Fours for the taking of extra money or victory points, Fives for the appointment of new staff, and Sixes are a kind of wild card.
It took us a while to work out how to play the staff - another full set of attractive cards, each with different skills - and we still have to keep referring to the instruction guide to discover what some of them offer. They range from single-use staff, who might provide a few supplies for the cafe, through to those who allow extra actions or money with certain numbers, ongoing through the game.
That's how the table looked towards the end of round three of our first game. It looks complex, but the setup is surprisingly quick. At the bottom of the picture is the action card for the dice. Above that is the main game board, with guests who can be selected, a scoring track around the outside, and the added complication of an 'emperor track' which gives bonuses or penalties after every few rounds.
The hotel boards are the three at the top of the picture, three each, with staff cards laid out (though we also put the ones in our hands on the table for the first run-through). We didn't get any further than round three; it took about three hours to get that far.
Here's a photo from a different perspective; the cards sticking out of the bottom of the hotel boards are guests who are still in the cafe awaiting their orders.
When we calculated the scores at the end, I had won, but none of us had any idea how. We were not playing strategically, and only understanding a little of how it worked as we played. None of us used the emperor track at all. I think we all had between about ten and thirty points.
The second time we played, it was just the two of us and we got to the end in about three hours. We used staff more effectively (and correctly) and I made sure to gain emperor points whenever I could. We both found ourselves running out of money (kronen) and realised we had made a mistake about bonuses from filling blocks of rooms. We had given ourselves victory points for all of them, whereas we should have gained either kronen or emperor points from the red or yellow blocks.
I won the second game too, mostly because of the emperor points, and was amazed to reach 55 points. But we wondered vaguely why the scoring track had extra markers that could be used when getting right the way around and starting a second lap.
A couple of days later we played another three-player game. This time it became apparent that each game helps with understanding and strategy. The third player, who was only on her second game, didn't get any victory points and filled far fewer rooms than the two of us who had played the extra game. The winner ended up with over 100 points, I was about twenty behind, and the third player reached around 50.
We're not particularly competitive, and it's a game where each plays for themselves rather than any direct competition. Each round (there are seven in all) involves two turns for each player, and the first player moves around the table. There's some luck in the roll of the dice and the cards available, so rather than long-term strategy, it's more of a game of tactics, taking advantage of the available dice actions, or the guests and staff one acquires.
Some reviews say that it's less interesting as a four-player game, because turns can be lengthy and other players are not at all involved in anyone else's playing. It's the only disadvantage mentioned. But while still learning the game and its many variations, this isn't an issue at all because we're all interested in what each other are doing, seeing what effect different staff or guests have on the play and the scoring.
So far, we like 'Grand Austria Hotel' very much.
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